Help Not sure how to proceed

[jarata52]

We are planning on selling our house in mass in a few months then going full timing

Our plan was to fly out to az buy a class a and stay there for a month or so then proceed on

If I sell my house in mass I wont have a residency so im not sure how i would purchase a motorhome in az without an address

What do you suggest i do in the time between selling the house and purchasing motorhiome how do i go about  setting up residence in the 3 states most people use tx,fla,or sd

which one is better 

or is there an easier way to do this like purchase motorhome in mass then change later 

[Barbaraok]

First, slow down.  It isn't that hard, we've all been there, done it, moved on with our lives.

Second, how much RVing have you done?   If little to none, try renting first to see if this is really something you want to do.

Third, use the search function and do a lot of reading on selecting a domicile state.   There are probably hundreds of threads to read through on this subject.   Yes, Florida, South Dakota, and Texas are usually mentioned because no state income taxes, they are welcoming to fulltimers and they have mail forwarding companies that cater to fulltimers.  This forum is sponsored by Escapees, a Texas company that is really great to work with for domicile issues, plus their parks and a lot of other perks.   But lots of people go with good companies in other states.

Fourth, why are you going to Arizona to look for a rig and when do you plan to do this?   There are a lot of rigs for sell every winter as people come off the road or one spouse dies, etc.  But that doesn't mean you couldn't find the rig of your dreams in your own back yard.   How many RV shows have you been to, taking time to sit in rigs for extended time (45 minutes or more) going through motions of daily living.  Kick off shoes and get in the shower - is it comfortable?  Sit on the toilet - is it comfortable with door closed?   Can you use bathroom, kitchen, bedroom with slides in?     

5th - again read and read and start to get an outline of the process.   Read the blogs that people have in their signature line to see all the different ways people fulltime.  Then start asking specific questions.

 

[SWharton]

x2 for Barb.

You need to slow down and think things through. You will have an address, probably a mail forwarding service in whatever state you decide to domicile in. You need an address for your drivers license, financial accounts, voting, insurance, credit cards, taxes etc. You also need to think about your wills, living will, power of attorneys.

Do  a lot of looking online and visit shows and dealers. Decide what you want be it Class A, B, C, TT or 5th. There are pluses and minuses to both. Another question is if you get a Class A or C can one of your cars be used as a 4 down toad? Once you decide on what you want start searching online so you have a feel for pricing and quality or what is being sold.

I would give this process 6-12 months so you make some clear decisions.

Get a note book and start your master to do list. Also a list for what you want in your RV.

Come back to us with  all your questions. We have all been  there and are willing to  share or information.

[2gypsies]

You could set up a mail forwarding service now - after deciding what state to want your address.  Then when you're ready to buy you'll have the address.

Each state has pluses and minuses. You'll have to explore them and pick one that will suit you.  For instance, if you're Medicare age you can travel easily.  If you are younger and need to purchase your medical insurance then you'll have to find one that you can travel with.  South Dakota is very limited in that regard.

As far as flying and buying in Arizona - you would probably get a rust-free RV due to the dry climate but you might find heat issues on upholstery and seals if buying used.  Look for any problems.  I can understand if you'd want to start out in Arizona to travel and cover some western states.  However, what would you do with loading up the RV with your things?  You couldn't fly with everything.  Also, if you plan on traveling all the states you'll do the eastern ones anyway so why not just start there?  Perhaps you have a different reason of flying to AZ. Let us know.

RVs can be purchased anywhere - new or used.

Good luck with selling the house!

[Sugord]

Read,Read,Then Shop,Shop,And look at Rigs in your area. Craigs list is a good place to shop for rigs. I spent hours looking at Craigs list,and found what we wanted less than 80 miles from home. Don't buy without having an RV insp.by an inspector you trust.Then make an  offer that You think they will not take.When we bought our Holiday Rambler.I made an offer At 2/3 of asking price just to see what would happen.The seller was very motivated and took the offer. The worst that can happen is a no. And you can maybe save a lot of money.Another thing to look out for is scams,There are a lot of scams on Craigs list. After shopping a while you will be able to spot them by the way they are written. Some times you will see the same rig shown in 2 or 3 different States.

[jarata52]

The reason az is we lived out there for 10 years so we know it somewhat.With the amount of rv people  in az i would think the market might be better for choices, and prices.We also wanted  to buy a motorhome out there and then  stay there for a month or 2 during the winter this is a good way to get the kinks out of the motorhome before long travel,also we would be close to where we bought it.Plus since we are counting on doing this in the fall I reallly didnt want weather to be an issue.

We have camped for years now with a travel trailer and after doing quite a bit of research we decided we dont want to be towing a big 5th wheel or have to buy a truck  to pull something.

[Zulu]

Since you're selling house & buying an RV in a few months, you'll probably end up using Massachusetts as your domicile & vehicle registration state.

I don't know about MA vehicle registration fees, but I do know about AZ's as I'm a resident. Part of AZ's yearly fees is the VLT which is based on the MSRP of your vehicle -- the more expensive your vehicle, the higher the VLT. So licensing a new Class A in AZ should probably be avoided.

As far as selecting SD, TX, and FL as a domicile . . . if you're under 65 and have to purchase your own healthcare, then there's currently only one choice -- FL because it offers nationwide health plans. However, NV offers nationwide health plans in most of its counties and there is no state tax.

[Twotoes]

I am full time and I use the Escapees mail forwarding address in SD. I have a SD drivers liscense. I purchased a Class A last March in Phoenix. Registered it in SD and mailed them the sales tax at 4%. A lot less then AZ and most states. No inspection required. I had to take delivery in CA. The only problem I have had with a SD domicile is with health insurance. One more year I will be 65 and get Medicare. You should first decide what state to domicile in before you buy so you will only have to register and pay sales tax once. But don’t decide on which state on sales tax alone. Look at all the other issues. 

[Kirk W]

21 hours ago, jarata52 said:

If I sell my house in mass I wont have a residency so im not sure how i would purchase a motorhome in az without an address

First, let me welcome you to the Escapee forums. We are here to help so feel free to ask any questions or to join in on any of the existing threads. 

Have you considered how you will receive mail from others while traveling? You will need to have a mailing address for things like your health insurance, social security, driver's license, vehicle registration, and a host of other things. To do that you need to set up some sort of location before you leave MA. I suggest that you do a couple of things now as you start to make those plans. I would read all I can about the issue of domicile such as this link from Escapees Magazine, and/or this one from an attorney member of Escapees. Once you are satisfied that you grasp the issues at hand, I strongly suggest you check out the options with the Escapee Mail Service, which we have used since 2000.

Once you have an address, get the mailing address changed for all of your business connections and prepare now before you actually sell the house. That will also provide you a place to register the new RV when you buy it. In addition, what about a vehicle to tow while you travel? You are probably not going to want to break camp with the motorhome every time you wish to go shipping or sightseeing. 

[scouserl41]

17 hours ago, Zulu said:

 

As far as selecting SD, TX, and FL as a domicile . . . if you're under 65 and have to purchase your own healthcare, then there's currently only one choice -- FL because it offers nationwide health plans. However, NV offers nationwide health plans in most of its counties and there is no state tax.

NOT SO. We have SD domicile and nationwide health coverage using Colonial Penn, we've seen doctors in AZ, FL and CA using it. Our Humana RX coverage uses Walmart and we've filled prescriptions all over the US.

BnB

[scouserl41]

We set up SD residency 3 months before we sold and moved on, as soon as we moved out we went to SD and got DL's and Vehicle titles. (you can title a vehicle by mail in SD provided you have a DL already)

DO shop around before you lay down your hard earned money on an RV. RV Boot Camp was great for us as we hadn't bought an RV at the time and what we learned was EYE OPENING. 

The big thing that stuck in my head was that the average RV'er buys 3 rigs before they get the one they want. How much money do you need to lose buying and selling?

If you can make a trip to Yuma in March you will find LOTS of RV's for sale at good prices ,but wait until April 1 st and they are gone with the Snowbirds.

Our Yuma RV search experience here:

http://banbrv.blogspot.com/2014/12/baby-steps.html

Our domicile experience

http://banbrv.blogspot.com/2015/03/home-is-where-you-make-it.html

BnB

[2gypsies]

20 minutes ago, scouserl41 said:

NOT SO. We have SD domicile and nationwide health coverage using Colonial Penn, we've seen doctors in AZ, FL and CA using it. Our Humana RX coverage uses Walmart and we've filled prescriptions all over the US.

BnB

Are you on Medicare or ACA?

[scouserl41]

Medicare.

For ACA SD is not  good choice, apologies.

BnB

[Zulu]

1 hour ago, scouserl41 said:

For ACA SD is not  good choice, apologies.

Let's make this more general and say for those under 65, SD and TX are not the places to domicile.

[kb0zke]

It will take a couple of months to fully get your mail switched from your current address to your new one. We did a LOT of research over a period of about three years prior to actually looking for our coach. Part of that research was the type of coach we needed, part was domicile State, and part was mail service. We ended up with SD as our domicile and Your Best Address in Sioux Falls for our mail service (Escapees wasn't in SD then).

The easiest way to get your mail switched is to get your new address set up, then as mail comes to your current address you tell them your new address (IF you still want to hear from them - good time to ditch some of the junk mail). You can have mail sent to your new address and forwarded you your current one if you are still there. Don't assume that filling out the post card at the post office is sufficient. It isn't. We filled it out, clearly marking the box that this was a permanent change of address. Several months later we stopped by the PO to visit a friend there and were asked what we wanted them to do with our mail! We filled out a second forwarding order.

[LindaH]

On 1/29/2018 at 8:20 AM, scouserl41 said:

(you can title a vehicle by mail in SD provided you have a DL already)

Then things must have changed since we were domiciled in South Dakota.

We registered our vehicles by mail with the help of our mail forwarder and then went to SD within 90 days afterward to get our driver's licenses. 

[scouserl41]

They may have changed, we just enquired about titling a new car there by mail and the first thing they asked was "Do you have a SD DL?". We didn't pursue that because we already have licenses and other vehicles registered there. Best call them and ask.

BnB

[Kirk W]

Quote

• jarata52
• JoinedJanuary 28
• Last visitedJanuary 28

 

 

[LindaH]

49 minutes ago, scouserl41 said:

They may have changed, we just enquired about titling a new car there by mail and the first thing they asked was "Do you have a SD DL?".

That certainly could present a problem, then, for people who start their fulltiming life in the winter!  We got our vehicles registered in January or February and went there in the spring to get DL's.  There's no way I would have gone to SD in January or February!

[Second Chance]

On 1/29/2018 at 1:21 PM, Zulu said:

Let's make this more general and say for those under 65, SD and TX are not the places to domicile.

... unless you fall in certain groups such as retired military, etc.

Rob

[Second Chance]

45 minutes ago, Kirk Wood said:

• jarata52
• JoinedJanuary 28
• Last visitedJanuary 28

Hmmm... interesting observation, Kirk. Thank you!

Rob

[scouserl41]

Further research shows that you CAN register a vehicle by mail with a non SD DL.

From the Pennington Co Treaurer's Office Web Site

"Titling requires providing a South Dakota driver's license or a social security card and an out of state driver's license."

BnB

[Twotoes]

43 minutes ago, scouserl41 said:

Further research shows that you CAN register a vehicle by mail with a non SD DL.

From the Pennington Co Treaurer's Office Web Site

"Titling requires providing a South Dakota driver's license or a social security card and an out of state driver's license."

BnB

But you do need a SD address to register your vehicle 🚗 

[kb0zke]

That's what we did. When our MO license on the Foretravel was running out we were in OK. We had our mail service handle licensing the coach in SD. That was March or April, and we sent to SD in July and got our drivers licenses. No problems.

[sandsys]

19 hours ago, kb0zke said:

That's what we did. When our MO license on the Foretravel was running out we were in OK. We had our mail service handle licensing the coach in SD. That was March or April, and we sent to SD in July and got our drivers licenses. No problems.

It would be helpful to the OP if you told when you did that. I know things have changed since we did ours in 2008.

Linda Sand